Not It
by Stratagem
Summary: Kiza honestly didn't mind babysitting for the Jones-Wise family since she actually loved the kids and the pay was good, but sometimes the job could be overwhelming. The twins were full of energy and could be all kinds of distracting.


Disclaimer: I don't own Jupiter Ascending!

**Not It**

Kiza tried to ignore the tickling against her ear, knowing paying any attention would mean that her classwork would never be finished. Her online courses this semester were painfully involved, especially since she was taking both courses taught by Earth professors and classes from intergalactic tutors. But it was really hard to get anything done when _someone_ was messing with her ear.

Another feather-light brush against her ear. And again.

"Orion," she said, short and exasperated.

The thing brushing her ear drew back quickly, and she continued reading on her tablet. It was an old poem by some sonnet-writer from D'Tauro, a planet thousands and thousands of lightyears from Earth. She should've considered her options a little longer before deciding on Ancient Texts from the Enlightened Ones for a literature course. Mistakenly, she had thought that poem would be shorter than reading novels. Apparently the "Enlightened Ones" had thought that a poem should be over 80,000 words or it would be considered woefully lacking.

Lucky her.

She had only made it through a few more lines of the poem when she felt the feathery soft brush of a piece of grass on her ear again. It was followed by a soft little laugh and then she felt a similar tickle against the bottom of her bare feet.

"I'm warning you…" The touches disappeared, though Kiza didn't high hopes for them staying gone for very long. She readjusted her tablet, but now she was on high alert, her senses tuned in. The words on the screen blurred together as her eyes switched over to what she affectionately called 'bee mode,' though her dad had a much more technical term for it. It was rather involuntary this time, triggered by the little bit of grass about to touch her foot.

With a shout, she surged forward, tossing her tablet toward the cushions and launching herself at Vega. The four-year-old little girl yipped and jumped backwards, a bright grin on her face, probably from victory at having finally gotten Kiza to do exactly what she and her twin brother wanted.

"You can't catch us," Vega said as she darted away, toward her brother, her matching other half. Both children had their mother's dark hair and their father's blue eyes, though Vega had her mother's darker skin while Orion took after their father. Tiny pointed ears alluded to their wolf splice heritage.

"Wanna bet?" Kiza said, rolling off the couch onto her feet and assuming a combat stance.

"We're faster," Orion said, jutting out his chin in confidence, teeth slightly bared in instinctual defiance.

Kiza smirked. "We'll see about that."

"Not it!" Vega yelped and then took off, her loose braid streaming behind her as she fled out the backdoor, letting it slam shut behind her.

A second later, Orion took off for the front door. "Not it! You're it, K!"

Rolling her eyes, Kiza took off for the closer target: Vega. Orion was a little speed demon, so he would probably already be in the bushes by now, waiting for her so he could pounce as she walked by. Vega would mostly linger by the house and let Kiza see her before dashing off.

She honestly didn't mind babysitting for the Jones-Wise family since she actually loved the kids and the pay was good, but sometimes the job could be overwhelming. The twins were full of energy and could be all kinds of distracting. They needed to be entertained almost constantly, and they didn't like to be plunked down in front of a TV or a tablet screen. Technology was fun to them, but outdoors called to their heightened senses.

Like the wolves who shared their genes, outside was more fun, more enticing, and they couldn't be held indoors for very long. In fact, their small family lived on a decent-sized farm surrounded by forests not more than a couple miles from the Apinis' own farmhouse.

The farm gave them the space they needed, and besides, Caine and Jupiter could hide spacecraft out in the barn and the fields left room for ships to set down, if they needed to. It was a very eccentric place to call a palace, but seeing how Jupiter was royalty, that's sort of what the farm was, in a way. Maybe that's why Kiza preferred babysitting at her and her dad's house; it was her territory, and she was more comfortable there. Plus, the two pups were more likely to recognize her authority as a temporary pack leader if they were at her house instead of theirs.

Kiza walked out the screen door into the backyard, taking a deep breath that was heavily scented with wildflowers and honey. She would never forget the years where illness had kept her from getting a full lungful of air, when she had felt crippled by her condition. Her dad had nearly sacrificed himself to make her better, and she would always be grateful to him for each free breath that she could take.

Spotting a flash of brown and blue, she dashed after Vega as the girl went sprinting past. Bee speed versus wolf speed. This would be easier if she had wings, but you had to become a Skyjumper or be really rich to get those. Still, her muscles were strong and wiry, and her reflexes were impeccable. They helped her keep up, but that boundless energy of Vega's was powerful on its own.

And then there was Orion. He raced around the edge of the house, almost a blur, and he laughed as she tried to reach out and catch him, her fingers grazing the edge of his hood.

"You're slow," he declared, coming to a stop just out of her reach. When she darted forward, he jumped back.

Kiza smiled and waited as the boy came a little closer. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Vega creeping up behind her, slow, deliberate. One day, the twins were going to be excellent warriors, if that was the life they chose. If they did, she could imagine that they would be a formidable team, something to really scare their enemies.

"I see you," she said just as Vega came into reach, and before the girl could get away, Kiza swung to her right and snatched her up, pulling the squirming giggler into her arms. "Victory!"

"No!" Orion shouted and then leaped at Kiza, causing her to topple over into the wildflowers, "My sister! Kiza, let her gooo."

"Or what?"

"I'll tickle you!"

"Not that, anything but that," Kiza said, and then twitched as nimble little fingers poked at her side, catching her in the perfect spot to make her laugh. She involuntarily let go of Vega and whirled toward Orion, catching him, only to get tickled by Vega. "Oh, no you don't. It's my turn now!" Grabbing Vega with her other hand, she pulled both of them into the grass with her and tickled them relentlessly. They erupted into helpless giggles before fighting back, the pair tugging on her until she caved in and wrestled with them.

They were all laying in the wildflowers and watching the sun set when Vega and Orion suddenly sat up, little ears twitching.

"They're here!" Orion shouted, jumping up from the ground and then tugging on Kiza's hand, "Come on, K, they're here, they're back!"

"I can't hear…" A moment later, Kiza could hear the very faint sound of a truck's motor in the distance. The twins' hearing was better than hers but not by much. It sounded like their parents were back from their meeting with the Kairte ambassadors, and hopefully everything had gone well. According to her dad, the Kairte were hoping to start exporting some of Earth's farm animals as intergalactic pets. Space chickens might not be such a farfetched idea soon enough, if the Kairte were to be appeased. In return, the Kairte were prepared to provide some extra defense for Earth, which would be appreciated.

Kiza let herself be pulled to her feet as the truck came up the path to the house and parked. "Aren't you guys going to hide?"

"Oh, yeah! Come on, Vega." Orion grabbed his sister by the arm, and the two of them took off for the house while Kiza headed around to the front porch to meet their parents and her dad. Jupiter was getting out of the driver's seat while Caine was already out and stretching his wings.

"How'd it go?" she asked as her dad climbed down from the truck. He gave her a warm smile, which automatically set her at ease.

"Rather well," he answered as he walked up to her, "For the price a few thousand chickens, we get two new defense cruisers." He hugged her before looking around. "They're hiding again?"

"What else would they be doing?" she said with a cheeky grin before waving over at Caine and Jupiter. "They're waiting for you two to find them."

"That's your job," Jupiter said, raising an eyebrow at Caine.

"As you wish." With a smirk, he stormed the house and a few second later there were pealing giggles and squeals of joy as well as Caine's own deep laugh.

Jupiter smiled brightly as she walked over to Kiza and Stinger. "Were they a lot of trouble?"

"Nope, they were fine," Kiza said. As frustrating and distracting as they could be, the twins were a lot of fun. Sort of like little siblings that she had never asked for. Besides, Jupiter and Caine always paid her well, even though she told them she didn't want any money.

The screen door banged open against as Caine came back onto the porch, this time with Orion tucked under his arm like a football and Vega perched piggyback against his folded wings, arms tight around her father's neck. Caine bowed a little to Jupiter, making Vega laugh and readjust her grip. "Your heirs, your majesty."

"Looking as regal as ever," Jupiter said with warm affection, probably taking in the grass-stained pants and messy hair. "I think we should throw them in the washing machine when we get home."

"Sounds a little harsh," Caine said and then gave a loud sigh, "But if that's what you require. I think the lavender detergent would smell nice."

"Daddy!" "Dad, no!" came the protests, and Kiza saw Caine' stern expression twitch into a quick smile that Jupiter returned with one of her own.

"I guess we could maybe just toss them in the bath and then watch a movie," Jupiter said, "But only if they tell Kiza thank you for letting them stay with her."

"Thanks, Kiza!" they said in unison, and Vega blew her a kiss.

"You're welcome, pups," she said as her own dad wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Caine let Orion down, and the boy hurried over to hug his mom while Caine swung Vega over his shoulder and into his arms. She kissed his cheek and nuzzled into the crook of his neck, a complete daddy's girl. Kiza could relate.

"Can we watch The Neverending Story, Daddy?"

"No, Cars, I want to watch Cars."

"Have fun," Stinger said with a wave as the family headed back to the truck.

Caine tossed him a long-suffering look, but Kiza knew better. Caine loved his mate and his children more than anything else in this universe, it was easy to see in the way he looked at them. The kind of love was something powerful.

"They really are a handful, aren't they?" Her dad said as they turned back toward the house.

Kiza laughed. "It's worth it." Every crazy moment.


End file.
